What's been happening
This week some generous soul shared their germs and I have a cold. Started off with a razor throat and then tracked down my throat. Had a tap on my face yesterday and today, I've got a cough that goes down to my boots. Laid around all day yesterday feeling sorry for myself, so didn't need much sleep (not that I get much at the best of times) and woke up enough to get up at 5:30. Was expecting to feel better today than I do which is disappointing. Laid on my bed for several hours this morning and still feeling sorry for myself. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.
We are still refurbishing my grand daughter's house. It's been many years since we last did this kind of work and I can't believe how exhausting it is now. We can only do a half day at a time. Impatient to get out and get it let for her. This house and the flexibility it gives her is the silver lining for her in all the awful things she has endured in the last few years. For new readers, 1. she was just going to secondary school when covid hit 2. her mum became seriously ill around the same time and we lost her in December 2023 3. then in January we lost her dad too, unexpectedly, which meant 4. she was wrenched away from everything she knew and has come to live with us. It's a wonder she's still standing! She's thriving at college doing Art and Design, and is learning to drive too.
The Cooking Up A Storm group came to my house this week, and, as usual, we made some simply gorgeous recipes. We made a pumpkin and walnut tart from a column in the newspaper. It was to fit a 23cm tin, which I don't have, but these things are better made in individual tins so my friends can take their share home much easier. It was absolutely delicious and I will def use that recipe again, but my goodness, it made the most enormous bowl of mixture! Much too much to fit in a 23cm tart tin! We made all these with it! I reckon a third of the mixture would be about right for a 20cm tin. We ran out of pastry, so put the remaining mixture into ramekins.
We also made a delicious chocolate and pear tart tatin, absolutely gorgeous!
and finished up with Marry Me Fennel Pasta, a recipe from Oddbox. It has layers and layers of flavour, rather wonderful and can be flexed to use many other ingredients. I'm going to write a version using carrots and butter beans, after frugalising the recipe a bit too. So far, my version is coming out to 84p a portion. I'll see if I can get it down any more than that, but I don't want to reduce the flavour!
Then on Friday, the Historical Inns group in my u3a went to The Salehurst Halt for our monthly lunch. Gorgeous pub that dealt with seeming ease with our biggest group so far - 24 people.
It's a little tucked away village that can't get much passing traffic. We knew about it because the Vineyards and Breweries group went to visit a vineyard owned and run by the same people. I'll def be going back!
So, to the recipes this time, but first, a gentle reminder that we don't have to spend enormous amounts for Christmas if we don't have the cash to do so. Our loved ones want to spend time with us and wouldn't want us to bankrupt ourselves giving gifts we can't afford.
Black Friday
This is my annual call to you to spend mindfully in this very consumer based season.
I can’t tell you how tired I am of hearing the words ‘Black Friday’! To me it says ‘buy something, buy something, buy something ……. Please, buy something, anything, please’. I have had endless emails all saying it’s Black Friday, spend some money with us.
A Vegetarian Christmas Meal Plan
Now we are in November, I suppose I'd better start thinking about Christmas. I think the days of me hosting Christmas are probably over now and my younger daughter has taken over the mantle for various reasons.
However, I do enjoy making lovely seasonal food, at any time of year, but this month especially
This meal plan is for a couple for the whole of Christmas week, incorporating lots of seasonal flavours, but no meat
A Christmas Week
If you are on a tight budget, Christmas food can be very difficult, causing stress, and maybe even debt too. No need to get into debt, when with a bit of extra planning, you can enjoy a delicious festive meal, without spending a fortune. If you don’t know where to start, or would like a few ideas, have a look at this detailed, 2 person, 7 day Christmas dinner menu for the entire Christmas week.
I haven't yet done the annual re-price of these seasonal meal plans, but I will in the next week
A Christmas Sandwich
This delicious sandwich is something I came up with last year and my thoughts are turning to enjoying it again. Sprouts aren't at their best just yet, they need a good hard frost, but I look forward to them, and they were my daughter's favourite vegetable!
That's it for now, have a great week and I'll see you soon!
Do come and say hello on the Fantastically Frugal Food Facebook group, or the Sensational Slimming Sustenance group. I'd love to see you. Lots of useful tips, recipes and ideas. The nearly 19,000 membership are brilliant, brimming with talent.
And don't forget Thrifty Lesley, where there are 800+ recipes of fantastically frugal food and many weekly meal plans. And Cheap Family Recipes where you can find all kinds of delicious things that don't cost much, with two family monthly meal plans.
With all best wishes, until next time
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